Heart rate and perceived exertion responses of college students in indoor vs. outdoor rock climbing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the heart.rate (HR) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) responses during indoor and outdoor rock climbing in college aged students (N= 18). During the indoor climbing trial, subjects climbed three consecutive routes while wearing a Polar Vantage XL heart rate monitor (HRM) to record HR every 15 seconds. During the outdoor trial, subjects climbed one route continuously while wearing the HRM. RPE responses were recorded immediately following the climbing trial. The routes were rated at the same difficulty and the same in vertical feet. The results of independent t-test was there was no significant difference between female and male indoor RPE (p-value = .232, p>.05) or outdoor RPE (p-value = .255, p>.05). There was also no significant difference female and male indoor HR (p-value = .184, p>.05) or outdoor HR (p-value = .146, p>.05). There was a disordinal interaction between female and male RPE in indoor and outdoor rock-climbing. The data suggests that both indoor and outdoor rock-climbing could be considered to improve fitness by increasing HR into the target HR zone.